Week 15 in review:

Baby's size:  apple (4 inches, 2 1/2 ounces)

Mommy's size:  still feeling about the same as week 10.  I was really nervous when I popped so soon, with this being my first child.  Call it gas or water weight from the 150+ ounces of water I was drinking per day at the time, because growth has slowed way down since then.

Biggest cravings:  lemons and popsicles.  Yes, that's correct - my mother-in-law gave me a lemon to eat when I started to feel a cold coming on, and since then, they sound good all the time.

Gender prediction:  if the ultrasound technician tells me that this baby is a girl, I will hit the floor.  I just have this gut feeling that it's my little man in there - so much so that I've taken to calling it "him" and daydreaming constantly of plans for a boy's nursery.  Eric, on the other hand, thinks it's a girl.  I'm pretty sure he only says that to be difficult and because of the sweet satisfaction we receive from competing with each other.  Either way, we're still working out baby names for both sides - just in case.

Best mommy moment:  being told by my mother-in-law on Christmas that she's confident Eric and I will make great parents.  It was the first time in this pregnancy that someone has told me I'll be a good mom, and it tasted so sweet.  With my love language being words of affirmation, it means a lot to me to have something so meaningful spoken out loud.  I may have cried when I mentioned it to my husband.

What I'm loving about being pregnant:  wearing pants with an elastic waistband.  I'm also loving my new-found second trimester energy.  Christmas Eve and Christmas day I felt like I could go forever.  Go figure, the one year I don't fall asleep at the 10:00 Christmas Eve service is the one year I actually have an excuse to.

Of all the things I love about being pregnant, the one that takes the cake is watching Eric become a daddy.  I've heard time and time again that women are mothers from the time they learn they're pregnant, but that men don't tend to become fathers until they meet their child.  Totally false with this man - he isn't shy about doling out the belly kisses and talking to the baby.  For someone who's never been around babies and started off petrified of the idea of having kids, someone is wearing his daddy shoes awfully well.

What I'm not loving about being pregnant:  only being able to wear pants with an elastic waistband.

Challenge for the week ahead:  finding a new healthcare provider.  I'm in the process of trying to find a CNM to handle the rest of my pregnancy, because my current doctor isn't cutting the mustard.  I want someone that will go to bat for me and actually knows my name.  My insurance covers one CNM in our area, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's the one.

Overall emotion:  love, love, love.  I'm overwhelmed with love for someone I've never met.

alright, i'm officially ready.  it's a good thing, too, considering it's now after midnight, which means 30 for 30 has officially started.  i have 29 picks right now, with the intent of buying one more thing.  i know, i know...that's against the rules.  but today was a bit crazy and i didn't get to forever21 like i wanted.  i figure it's allowed because i already know what i want (a long-sleeved mustard tee).

ready to see my picks?

five pairs of pants:

Gap, Maurices, LOFT (x3)

 two skirts:

thrifted, & forever21

Ralph Lauren, H&M, Eddie Bauer, H&M, thrifted, J.Crew, LOFT

 three cardigans:

Forever21, Target, Old Navy

 four sweaters:

Wet Seal, Gap, Kohl's, Banana Republic

 two blazers:

Eddie Bauer & thrifted

 three pairs of boots:

Alloy, JC Penney (x2)

 three pairs of shoes:

Bandolino, thrifted, Target

i've also decided to go a step further with this challenge by throwing in a "10 under 10"...ten items out of my thirty are each under $10.

they consist of the following:

1. gray skinny pants (shown in the middle above)
2. pink skirt (only $1)
3. olive H&M shirt (second in picture)
4. white H&M tunic (fourth in picture)
5. striped navy shirt (fifth in picture - only $1)
6. striped J.Crew shirt (sixth in picture)
7. Old Navy blue cardigan
8. cinnamon-colored turtleneck
9. black blazer
10. mary janes

last week, John and Sherry over at Young House Love hosted a giveaway from Nella Designs that left me absolutely pining.  as one of only 3,630 entries, i totally thought the odds were working in my favor.  so you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when i wasn't the winner.

can i have one for every room, please?

i would love to purchase a custom silhouette from Nella Designs, but my pockets are a bit shallow right now, at least when it comes to purchasing things for my closet and our home.  so i decided to have a crack at it myself.  surely it can't be hard.  hmmm...now what is it that all of these tools in Photoshop do?

clearly i had no idea what i was doing.  luckily for me, the internet is a beautiful thing.  all i had to do was search for "silhouette in Photoshop" and i was led here.  and when i had no idea how to use the pen tool?  oh, looky here.

after just a couple hours of playing around, here's what i ended up with:

exhibit A for why i shouldn't be a fashion blogger

hi, my name is lauren, and i'm a cheater.

i know that it's supposed to be steppin' out saturday, but let me just tell you that a greasy ponytail and grubby clothes aren't really a good look on me, and tales of cleaning toilets and folding clothes might not make for the most exciting post i've ever written.

so, steppin' out sunday it is, then.

sweater:  banana republic, gift from my ma
dress:  LOFT ($10!)
leggings:  h&m
boots:  jc penney
belt:  thrifted, salvation army
pom/poof:  me

we go to church in eric's hometown, about a half hour drive from our house in fort wayne.  about a mile away from the church, there is an antique mall that i've been dying to go to for as long as i've known it's there, but for some reason, we've just never gone.  well, we finally made a stop there today after church, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.


everything was so beautiful and organized.  all of the above pictures are from two booths, which i absolutely fell in love with.  i have a plan to purchase the drawer from the top right corner to hang on our living room wall, and add three old mason jars filled with billy balls.  i also found a small dresser, which is the whole reason we went, for only $20.  it looks pretty worn, but it's solid wood and nothing that a coat of paint can't fix.  i am in desperate need of some craft organization, y'all.

then it was back to eric's parent's house for dinner, which is something we do every week.  we always take the puppies down and drop them off in the "stable" while we go to church.  then, while we eat dinner, they get to run around outside in the woods until their little (or massive, in titan's case) hearts are content.

this is the part of my sunday that truly makes it feel like a day of rest.  the in-laws property is so peaceful.  my wonderful mother-in-law fills our bellies with delicious, warm food, and i find comfort in a mug of freshly-ground coffee and the company of family.



i have been finding more and more value in a Sabbath day lately.  i didn't have an opportunity for any rest last week, and the only word that i can manage to come up with for the way it affected my whole week is that i felt weary.  i understand why we are commanded to rest.  i've also come to understand that rest doesn't equate to laziness.  i find my rest even when we are away from home on these sundays.  i find my rest in family, in some solitude, and most importantly, in Christ.

Exodus 34:21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.


how do you recharge?

that's right, my buckeyes won last night.  it only took ten tries to beat an SEC team in a bowl game, and the fourth quarter left me with nubs for fingernails, but they did it.  the fact that they won made staying up until 12:30 so worth it.  in fact, they probably won because i stayed up to cheer them on.  yah, let's go with that.

today's outfit was my attempt at a subtle celebration, but eric informed me there was nothing subtle about my color choices.  here's the take-away, kids:


in other news, i found out some amazing news today that led me to call eric immediately to share with him.  i really thought he would be more excited, but as it turns out, he's a big fuddy-duddy.  so hopefully someone here will get excited with me.  today, on my way to work, i passed an empty store that used to house big lots, but it went out almost a year ago.  today there was a sign posted with the new resident...

...gosh, i hate to say it, but i really think most people will be let down by this build-up.  we are getting a salvation army about two minutes from our house.  and it's going to be huge!  this is big news. big.  one more store in which to find fun, thrifted treasures.  and, hi, i can go on a whim.

good day.